Family Vacation

Back in June we were finally able to take a family vacation to New Hampshire.

We made the obligatory visit to Storyland.

More on that later.

 We visited Glen Ellis Falls.

The falls were just stunning and the spray of the water was so cool and refreshing.

I had a heck of a time climbing all those stairs back up though, thought we were going to have to call the forest ranger for rescue.

 The Condo we stayed in was just beautiful. It had 2 full pull out beds and a private master. The kitchen was tiny but fully functionable. It was good to be able to cook some meals and not have to eat out all the time.

 When we weren't out seeing the sites, we stayed at the resort and played in the heated pool.

The two jacuzzi's made me quite happy.

I drank some Good Merlot. See? The label says so.

 We drove up to Cathedral Ledge.  I was thankful for that.

There really is a feeling of it being a spiritual place when you are this high up.

 Mountain climbers actually climb this ledge.

Ummmm-no thanks.

 I prefer this view-with fencing to keep me on the mountain.

Stewie, my husbands service dog, went everywhere with us.

 We took another hike to Diana's Baths.

 This was a much easier hike for me as the paths were level and even and no stairs.

 The water was so peaceful to listen to as it trickled over the rocks.

 Diana's Baths is a multi-tierd waterfall. It is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.

But the water was so cold.

I mean cold like your feet are in a cooler of icecubes cold.

 The kids found some really cool fossil rocks here. The curve of the rocks from water splashing on them for hundreds of years was just amazing to look at.

 There were lots of shallow areas for wading and exploring.

 Every corner you turned there were these glorious little waterfalls.

 And little holes and indentations where the force of water has made it's way through.

 And at the base of the waterfalls there were basins and swirls of water.

 On the walk back I noticed all these butterflys. There had to be at least 30 of them. I read somewhere that they lick the soil to get the minerals out of it.

 I sat with them and they just flitted beside me and landed next to me.

 I found the rocks and the water powerful yet soothing.

 Such an amazing place.

Ahhh yes, And then there is Storyland. My 14 year old declared he was too old to attend and happily stayed at the condo to swim and read.  We promised him free food but I have to say the vegetarian choices at Storyland are quite limited.

Tae insisted on driving the antique cars. Larry and I sat in the back.

Good thing Tae wasn't really responsible for driving.

My insurance rates would be astronimical.

But life is good when you can share a burger and soda with your big sister.

 Storyland has a great gift store with all of these crazy hats.

I had a blast with the kids!

 We practiced our Buddhism while at at Chinese Food restaurant picking up dinner.

Tae and Larry got a little goofy with the Hagar the Horrible hats.

 These glasses totally freaked me out.

I wouldn't buy these for Tae.

I had nightmares of him standing by my bed in the middle of the night

 chanting Red Rum, Red Rum!

 Goofiness.

 Cinderella's pumpkin.

It didn't go anywhere but is always a photo opportunity.

 Tae pie.

These are the cool fossil rocks we found. They have leaf imprints on them.

 It's always fun being with the kids.

They make me feel like a kid again.

But at the end of the day my tired and cranky kids needed to learn a hard lesson.

I offered to throw eggs at them but instead we treated them to miniature golf.

Hope you have been able to fit some vacation and family time into your summer.

Bev

The Camping Trip that Wasn't...for Me Anyway

I missed the whole camping trip. Yep, Lyme disease strikes again. I lasted a whole one night and had to come home.

See this man? That is a good man. He stayed at camp for four days with three kids while I was at home recuperating. Good man.

Then there's this man. Young-but a fledgling man none the less. He's grown and matured this past year. What a love. Gave me the biggest hug when he came home today and then asked for another. Sweet. My fledgling man. Wasn't he just 5 pounds in my arms?

Dear husband took the kids on some hikes.

And even managed to get a little homeschool lesson in at the Kettle Pond Visitor center.

Several lessons. Good man.

And even some beach time.

And I'm pretty sure they ate smores all week because they came home with almost all the food that I packed in the cooler.

Dear Husband even let the kids do really cool things...like play with fire.

And ride their bikes in the street.

And use a pocket knife to whittle wood.

And let them use the grill to cook their own meals.

And taught them about the mating habits of weird beetles.

We at least ate the delicious pasta salad I made. Kalamata olives. Yumm.

Then there is this child. Sigh.

This giggly, not so girly, delicious girl.

This child. Who is fast with the quips and doesn't take guff from anyone.

This child. Sigh. Who makes puppets out of string cheese and necklaces out of hair bands.

This child. Who plowed through the door today to give her mom the longest, tightest, most bestest hug. This child, who made sure that the Dad stopped at Dunkin Donuts and brought her mom an iced coffee. Sigh.

Glad my family is back home.